1. Field of the Invention
This invention involves a device for removing paper fibers and dust from air traversing a pneumatic conveying system used in conjunction with printers or other waste fiber producing mechanisms. The invention removes waste fibers and dust from the working environment and pneumatically separates the dust from the fiber, retaining waste paper debris and paper fiber for recycling and collecting dust for disposal while returning purified conditioned air to the work environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In industrial environments such as printing plants and paper converting plants, large amounts of paper debris and paper fibers are generated by the operation of printers and/or paper cutters where scraps of paper are produced. Debris, fibers and dust are required to be removed from the air to maintain a healthy working environment. Generally, such waste is produced in an environment where air is conditioned to maintain a comfortable work place for employees. The normal mode of operation to purify conditioned air is to remove unfiltered air through a conduit to an exterior filtering device, and exhuast the air either to the outdoor environment or return it to the work environment, in either case losing much of the conditioned property of the air. Thus, there exists a need within the art to remove the debris and fibers of paper or other such material from the working environment without the loss of the conditioned property of air (heated or cooled).
Paper debris and paper fibers also have monetary value when collected for recycling. Such debris, when collected, accumulates dust and dirt from the environment and it is desirable to retain the large debris fiber in a compact form for recycling while at the same time, removing the dust from the fibers for disposal.
While several systems are known which accomplish similar or partially similar tasks of filtering air, no invention is known which meets all of the objectives of the present invention.
For example, known to the applicant are Krantz, U.S Pat. No. 4,581,050, and Higgins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,066. Each disclose double wall filter bag constructions where there is an annular space between bags. An inner bag separates larger particles from the waste stream, and the outer bag removes finer particles and acts as a second filter. Multi-stage dust removal systems are also disclosed in Dupre, U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,044. Paper balers are also commonly used within the industry. None of the prior art, however, accomplishes all of the objectives of the present system within a single unit or according to the present method. The present invention provides a waste removal system for conditioned air which eliminates the gain or loss of temperature of the filtered air and separates waste such that reusable waste is rid of dirt, segregated, and compacted for recycling, while dirt and dust are accumulated for disposal.